SFGATE.com has a nice article about some of the history of Ghost in the Shell in its various forms. Definitely an interesting read that seems to be fairly accurate.

Masamune Shirow, author of the original “GitS” manga, is one of the most popular — and most enigmatic — names in the manga industry; the creator of such best-selling series as “Appleseed” and “Dominion: Tank Police,” he is famous for having a love of technology that borders on fetishism, and also for being so intensely private that he does not employ assistants (he letters and shades all of his artwork personally), refuses to be photographed or to appear in public and won’t even reveal his real name: the one he goes by is a pseudonym some have suggested is inspired by the famous 13th-century swordsmith Masamune, or perhaps by the Kiku Masamune sake brewery, located in the artist’s hometown of Kobe. (Typically, Shirow himself refuses to say.) [SFGATE.com]

Honey Flash! I’ve got to say I’m really enjoying this OVA. It’s silly, over the top, has tons of fanservice (oh my the fanservice!), and just plain fun. I’ve seen a bit of Cutie Honey before, but this is a new take on it. I believe it is at least someone influenced by the recent movie (which I really hope someone brings over here since I still haven’t seen it).

The second gives us lots more action, with some pretty kickass fight scenes. As well as a little character development thrown in for taste. Oh yes, and did I mention the fan service? Honey-chan and Nat-chan fan service even! Overall a fun ride and I can’t wait for the last episode (btw, can someone license this once I’ve seen it? I want this one on DVD too).

(crossposted to life-listed chronologically)

Wow. I just watched the trailer for a new anime series titled Gankutsuou. It looks like it will be an anime version of The Count of Monte Cristo. Of all the promos I’ve seen for the current season in Japan, this is the most stunning (and it’s being produced by Gonzo, who have been doing great work lately). I hope it’s as good as the animation looks. The story has been a favorite of mine since I read a version of it back in French in High School, I can’t wait.

One of the more recent shows I’ve been watching is Elfen Lied. While I have been enjoying the show a lot, the level and type of violence in it seems to make me cringe almost every episode. People are routinely decapitated, blood spurts everywhere, etc. The most recent one I watched (episode 8), almost pushed me to the “okay, this is just too much for me” point.

On the other hand, I’m still convinced that at the root of it, the show is just a dysfunctional harem show.

Koan Pouncing on Asana,
originally uploaded by snooze.

Here’s my entry for BlogACatMas:

Well, I finally got around to doing a redesign. Drop a line if you find anything broken (or feel like commenting on what you think of it). I also made it so that TypeKey registration is required.

One thing I am continually learning about anime is that I should never judge a show by its premise. It continually comes back to bite me. The first show that snuck up on me this way was Dual (which has since become a favorite of mine), and Vandread is the latest. From the back of the first DVD:

Women are Monsters! For generations, the men of the planet Tarak have waged a valiant war of survival against their fierce enemies of the planet Mejale – women!

Hibiki finds himself completely out of his depth first as a stowaway on a space battleship then as the prisoner of the women who hijack it! A strange missile send the hijackers into a remote corner of the galaxy where the women and their prisoners encounter a mysterious new enemy that may force them to join forces! Can men and women actually work together without killing each other?!

For some reason I just thought this would be one of those shows that just wouldn’t work for me. Boy was I wrong. I first watched it dubbed on Encore Action, since that seemed like a decent way to check it out. After the first three episodes I was hooked, the show was just plain fun. I’ve since seen the whole series, as well as Vandred: Second Stage (which I’ll comment on when I’m done rewatching it on DVD, subbed). One thing I will say is that the dub of this show was actually not bad. Watching them so soon after another has made it easy to compare and the english VAs really do a pretty good job.

The show ends up being a mix of comedy, action, harem, space opera, and a little bit of drama for flavor. The writers do an interesting job of throwing together this group of men and women and seeing how they interact with each other. Each having their own preconceptions about the other. Of course it doesn’t help that all the propaganda on the planet of men says that women want to capture them, chop them up, and serve them for dinner.

The show is from GONZO, and being one of their earlier shows doesn’t have quite the visual polish of their recent shows, but it’s still quite shiny and cool looking. You can really see how they have been evolving over the years with this.

Overall, I give this show two thumbs up.

Anyone else remember these scary specials about all the horrible things kids can get involved in? Now you can watch them again on DVD, and they even come in a Trapper Keeper-like case!

Afterschool Specials on DVD

Do you remember
My Other Mother
,
Beat the Turtle Drum
, and
Did You Hear What Happened to Andrea
? No? Honestly, I don’t either and I thought I would recognize all these old ABC Afterschool Specials, those maudlin preachy tales of unwed mothers, teenage prostitution, and the dangers of hitchhiking. They’re being released on DVD, in a Trapper Keeper notebook style case. Each volume has four installments on two DVDs with Volumes 1 and 2 arriving on October 12th.
Schoolboy Father
, starring Rob Lowe, Nancy McKeon, and Dana Plato won’t be out until Volume 4 arrives, probably later this fall. Oh, Rob did a ton of these, he’s also in
A Matter of Time
in Volume 5. [via Popgadget: Personal Tech for Women]

Hopefully, there will be some posts here from my Mom soon. We’ve been talking about her blogging a bit, since I think she’s involved with a lot of things that it would be cool to share. So hopefully with this all set up she’ll just have to type and go.

I even got MarsEdit set up so posting should be even easier for her. Watch this space for more news.

Testing.